Schools to ask kids to learn from home as teacher shortage reaches crisis level

Victoria’s teacher shortage is reaching new crisis levels, with nine in 10 principals warning some classrooms won’t have a teacher next year and may need to learn from home some days.

Victoria’s teaching staff crisis has reached new heights with application numbers falling significantly.

Victoria’s education staffing shortage is reaching new crisis levels, with some schools receiving no applicants at all for vital teaching jobs despite millions paid in financial incentives.

The situation is most dire in the Goulburn Valley, Mallee and Gippsland, where more than 35 per cent – and up to 43 per cent – of jobs advertised are not filled.

It comes as nine in 10 principals have warned that some classrooms won’t have teachers next year, leaving schools to collapse classes, team-teach in halls and ask students to learn at home on certain days.

This is despite the Department of Education’s financial incentive program providing up to $50,000 for teachers to move into rural and regional areas, with retention payments of $9000 for every year they stay in the job.

New data shows 401 incentive positions were filled in the past two years and more than 80 per cent of teachers stayed at the schools they were recruited to.

There has been a large drop in job applications to become a teacher in parts of the state.

Figures tabled in state parliament show that in outer Gippsland, an average of 0.7 applications were received for every secondary teacher job vacancy during 2022 – down from four in 2021.

Goulburn secondary schools received 0.9 applications per job, Mallee secondary schools one application, outer Gippsland primary schools 1.9 applications and Goulburn primary schools 2.1 applications.

This compares to the western suburbs of Melbourne, where 3.5 applications are received – down from 11 applications received for each job in 2021.

The government has refused to release the 2022 Teacher Supply and Demand Report which is expected to show how dire the situation is, particularly in outer regional areas.

The 2021 Teacher Supply and Demand Report shows that in outer regional areas, 34 per cent of jobs advertised resulted in no appointment compared to 21 per cent in the city – an increase of nearly five per cent compared to 2020. It showed that primary schools had 9000 vacancies and high schools 7600 vacancies.

There are more than 2000 school jobs advertised right now.

The Department of Education officials also revealed that 51 schools had an acting principal in the last financial year.

In addition, there are 413 teachers on WorkCover for more than 130 weeks and there are more than 2000 school jobs advertised at present.

A recent survey of primary and secondary principals by the Australian Education Union showed 50 per cent say they are “greatly concerned” or “concerned” about their ability to fill teacher vacancies for the 2023 school year.

Education opposition spokeswoman Jess Wilson said the figures “confirm the depth of Labor’s teacher shortage crisis and highlight the disproportionate impact it is having on regional Victoria.”

Australian Education Union Victorian branch president Meredith Peace wasn’t surprised by the figures. Picture: Aaron Francis

AEU Victorian branch president Meredith Peace said it was “shocking” but unsurprising data.

“As we said in our open letter to the Victorian Government published in the Herald Sun earlier this year, most schools have very few and sometimes no applicants for teacher jobs,” Ms Peace said.

“Class sizes are the largest they have been in many years. Teachers, principals and education support staff are working unsustainable hours, doing all they can to cover the gaps so students don’t miss out”

Ms Peace added: “It is vital that we maintain a sustainable public scheme to support workers who are injured at work.”

A Department of Education spokesman said: “The number of teachers in Victoria has grown at twice the national average.”

“We’re delivering a range of initiatives that have grown our workforce by 8000 extra registered teachers between 2020 and 2023,” he said.

“We are continuing to invest in teachers in every corner of the state by offering free teaching degrees, targeted financial incentives and early career supports – because we know when teachers are well supported, students will be too.

“We’re also providing unprecedented investment in the future of rural education – with programs to ensure rural and regional students have access to great curriculum opportunities and high-quality teachers, and regional schools have the time and resources they need to focus on giving students the best possible education.”

Federal funding issues will be discussed on Monday at a meeting of federal and state education ministers.